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Emergency Contraception
Emergency contraception (EC)-also known as the "morning-after" pill- is a type of birth control pill that you can take to prevent pregnancy after sex. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) has approved four EC products: PlanB®, Plan B®One-Step,a generic version, Next Choice™, as well as ella®, which has a different chemical make-up than the other EC products on themarket. Read more about the first three products(PDF). Read more about ella® (PDF).
EC is safe and effective - but it's more effective the sooner you use it. It should not take the place of other types of birth control like"the pill," condoms, the birth control shot, etc.
EC is NOT the abortion pill or RU-486. It will not work if you are already pregnant.It will not hurt your body or your pregnancy if you took it before you knew you were pregnant. EC will NOT protect you against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS. Use condoms every time you have sex to protect yourself against STIs and HIV/AIDS.
Where can I get EC?
Women ages 17 and older with ID can obtain EC from a pharmacist without a prescription. Go to the pharmacy counter at your local drug store.
Women under 17 or women without ID can get EC with a prescription from a health care provider or from a specially trained pharmacist participating in the EC pharmacy access program. Visit the Maria Talks for a list of participating pharmacies.Teens in Massachusetts are guaranteed confidential, low-cost family planning services, including EC.
All women can get EC from a doctor or health care provider. Go online or call 617-624-6060 (M-F, 9-5) for a list of family planning clinics in Massachusetts.
Men ages 17 and older can also get EC from their pharmacist without a prescription. Men under17 can NOT get a prescription for EC, even through pharmacy access.
If you were raped or forced to have sex, you can call the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center at 1-800-841-8371 (English) or Llamanos Y Hablemos at 1-800-223-5001 (Spanish) for help.
What does "over-the-counter"mean and will EC be on the shelf with other over-the-counter products, like condoms?
Over-the-counter means that you can buy EC from a pharmacy without a prescription. However, EC will be kept behind the pharmacist counter. You will need to show ID to prove you are over 17 to get it.
How much does EC cost?
The price for EC over-the-counter ranges from $25-$55 and may vary at different pharmacies.
MassHealth will help pay for EC, but only if you buy it with a prescription from a doctor or specially trained pharmacist. If you have other insurance, ask your pharmacist if your insurance company will help pay for EC.
Is EC safe for teens under 17?
Yes.EC is safe for women of all ages. In addition, research shows that easier access to EC does NOT increase sexual risk taking and does NOT reduce the use of regular ongoing birth control.
Massachusetts EC Law
In 2005, Massachusetts became the 8th state in the nation to improve access to EC.
The Emergency Contraception Law requires hospital emergency rooms to make EC available to rape survivors and allows pharmacists to dispense EC without a prescription to women of all ages through a collaborative agreement with a physician. For detailed information on the implementation of the law, visit the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website.
With the passage of this bill, women can access EC in the early hours after unprotected intercourse when it's most effective. Better access to EC means fewer unintended pregnancies.
The following states have passed similar legislation: Alaska, California, Hawaii,Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Vermont, and Washington.
The bill was endorsed by: Boston Public Health Commission; Jane Doe, Inc.; The Mass. Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence; Mass. ACOG -American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Mass. Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians; Mass. Coalition for Choice; Mass.Board of Registration in Pharmacy; Mass. Family Planning Association; Mass.Independent Pharmacists Association; Mass. Medical Society; Mass Pharmacists Association; Mass. Public Health Association; Tapestry Health;and Women's Bar Association.
EC in Massachusetts Hospitals
The2005 Massachusetts EC law requires that hospital emergency departments offer rape survivors information about EC and provide the medication upon request.
NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts has conducted several surveys of hospital emergency departments to assess the availability of emergency contraception for rape survivors.
In a telephone survey of hospital emergency departments in June 2008, we found that access to EC may have actually declined since passage of the EC law. Responses from both Catholic and secular hospitals indicated that they maybe violating state law, although problems appear more likely to occur at Catholic facilities.
Several hospitals reacted quickly to the news that they might be denying critical care to rape survivors. In response, a handful have changed their policies or provided additional training for emergency department staff. Results were also shared with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the agency responsible for monitoring implementation of the law. DPH is currently offering hospitals technical assistance to aid them in complying with the EC access requirement.
Learn more about our 2008 survey.
Learn more about our 2006 survey.
EC in Massachusetts Pharmacies
Emergency contraception is available without a prescription in pharmacies to anyone 17years of age or older who can provide a government-issued ID. The 2005Massachusetts EC law also allows specially trained pharmacists to enter into an agreement with a physician to dispense prescription EC to women of all ages.
NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts released a report (PDF) in September 2008 revealing that teens in Massachusetts still face significant barriers in obtaining EC.We surveyed 275 pharmacies statewide to gauge the degree of difficulty young women might face in obtaining EC.
Our ground breaking report, The Morning After: Can Your Pharmacist Help?, will help us to educate pharmacists and advocate for increased access to EC for all women seeking to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. It also has recommendations for how you can help.
We found that most pharmacists want to help, but they may not have all the resources needed to do so. Just over half (56%) initially told our 17-year-old "mystery client" what she needed to do to get EC, and most of the rest (30%) got it right after prompting. (Note that at the time the survey was conducted, 17-year-olds needed a prescription for EC and could not but it over-the-counter.)
We also discovered that:
- The average cost of $44.35 is way out of reach for many women.
- Nearly 90% of pharmacies surveyed had Plan B® in stock, but it varies widely by county (with the least access in Hampshire and Hampden counties).
- A majority of pharmacists (71%) provided a referral for teens to get a prescription; typically, they suggested a family planning clinic or community health center, but 18% directed her to the ER or hospital.
- Six percent (6%) of pharmacists gave incorrect information about how EC works, with 4% still incorrectly confusing it with the early abortion pill Mifeprex (RU-486).
View the full report online.(PDF)
Massachusetts Emergency Contraception Network
Founded in 2001 by the Pro-Choice Massachusetts Foundation and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Family Planning Program, the Massachusetts Emergency Contraception Network was a coalition of reproductive rights organizations, medical providers, pharmacists,community organizations, and government agencies working to increase access to and awareness of emergency contraception (EC) in order to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.
In December 2005, following three years of intensive advocacy, public education, and community outreach, An Act to Provide Timely Access to EC became law in Massachusetts. The law requires all hospital emergency rooms to make EC available to women who have been raped and enables specially trained pharmacists to directly dispense EC through an agreement with a physician. The EC Network developed materials to educate pharmacists and the public about the new law and how to access EC.
Activities of the EC Network were coordinated by NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts and directed by a Steering Committee comprised of leaders in the fields of public health, medicine, pharmacology, and reproductive health advocacy, including representatives from Ibis Reproductive Health, Jane Doe, Inc., and the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.
The coalition stopped meeting in 2009, but we encourage you to visit the following resources to learn more about emergency contraception:
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